How on-site testing works
From the phone call to the verified result.
There is no mystery to any of this, but almost nobody explains it. Here is the whole sequence, including the parts that go wrong and what happens when they do.
Stage one
Before we arrive
You tell us what you need collected, for how many people, and where. If your workforce is DOT covered we confirm which agency regulates you, because that determines the panel and the rate. If it is a company policy program we check what your policy actually says, since that document, not our preference, governs the collection.
We agree a window rather than a single minute. Collections are quick but people are not always where they are supposed to be, and a window absorbs that without anyone being marked as refusing a test.
For post-accident and reasonable suspicion situations this stage compresses into a phone call, because the clock is already running.
Stage two
On site
The collector arrives with everything required. You provide a private restroom and somewhere to complete paperwork. The collector secures the water supply, adds bluing agent to the bowl, and lays out the collection kit.
Each employee presents photo identification, which is checked and recorded. They leave coats, bags and pocket contents outside the collection area. The collection container is unsealed in front of them, and from that point the specimen does not leave the collector's sight until it is sealed.
Within four minutes of the specimen being handed over, the collector reads the temperature strip. The acceptable range is 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The specimen must contain at least 45 mL. The employee then signs and dates the seals themselves, which is deliberate: it is their signature that ties the bottle to the form.
Stage three
After we leave
Sealed specimens travel in tamper evident bags to a laboratory certified by the Department of Health and Human Services. The laboratory runs an initial screening test. Anything that screens positive is then confirmed by a second, more specific analysis at a lower cutoff before it is reported as anything at all.
Every non-negative result goes to a Medical Review Officer, a licensed physician, who contacts the employee directly to ask whether there is a legitimate medical explanation. A valid prescription, properly verified, results in a negative report to you. You are not told what the medication was.
Only after that review does a verified result reach your designated representative.
Typical timings
- Single collection on site
15 to 25 minutes per employee - Whole crew of fourteen
Usually a single morning - Negative laboratory result
Commonly one to two business days - Non-negative requiring MRO review
Longer, because the physician must reach the employee
Laboratory turnaround varies by panel and by specimen type. Hair testing takes longer than urine. We will give you a realistic expectation when we book, rather than an optimistic one.
A negative is not a certificate
A negative result means no substance was detected at or above the cutoff concentration. It does not mean nothing was present, and it does not speak to impairment at any particular moment. Anyone who tells you otherwise is overselling the test.
When it does not go smoothly
Four situations with a written procedure.
None of these are unusual. What matters is that the collector follows the documented procedure instead of using judgement.
The employee cannot produce enough
Known as shy bladder. The insufficient specimen is discarded and the employee is given a further opportunity to provide one within a defined period, with fluids offered. If they still cannot, the matter goes to a physician to determine whether there is a medical explanation.
Temperature is out of range
Recorded on the form immediately, with the finding noted in remarks. A second collection is taken straight away under direct observation. The original specimen is retained rather than discarded.
The laboratory reports the specimen dilute
Dilute is a validity finding, not a positive. Depending on the values and on your policy, the usual response is a recollection. It is worth telling employees in advance not to drink large volumes of water beforehand.
The employee declines
We document precisely what was said and when, and report it to your designated representative. Whether that constitutes a refusal, and what follows, is an employment decision for you rather than a call we make.
Next step
Want to see how this would fit your operation?
Describe your site and your headcount. We will walk through what a first collection would look like before you commit to anything.